Apparatus for grouping and banding a specific number of envelopes at a time in packets, particularly in conjunction with high-speed envelope machines



Nov. 22, 1966 R. WINKLER ETAL 3,286,434

APPARATUS FOR GROUPING AND BANDING A SPECIFIC NUMBER OF ENVELOPES AT A TIME IN PACKETS, PARTICULARLY IN CONJUNCTION WITH HIGH-SPEED ENVELOPE MACHINES Filed July 16, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 nvenlord R/cHHR MZV/(L ER HrrdR VE Y5 Nov. 22, 1966 R. WINKLER ETAL 3,286,434

APPARATUS FOR GROUPING AND BANDING A SPECIFIC NUMBER OF ENVELOPES AT A TIME IN PACKETS, PARTICULARLY IN CONJUNCTION WITH HIGH-SPEED ENVELOPE MACHINES Filed July 16, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig. 8

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United States Patent 3,286,434 APPARATUS FOR GROUPING AND BANDING A SPECIFIC NUMBER OF ENVELOPES AT A TIME PACKETS, PARTICULARLY IN CONJUNC- TION WITH HIGH-SPEED ENVELOPE MA- CHINES Richard Winkler, Rengsdorf, near Neuwied, Rhineland,

and Kurt Diinnebier, Wollendorf, near N euwied, Rhineland, Germany Filed July 16, 1963, Ser. No. 295,354 Claims priority, application Germany, July 31, 1962, W 3,707 3 Claims. (Cl. 53-64) Apparatus for grouping and handing a specific number of' envelopes at a time in packets, particularly in conjunction with high-speed envelope machines. I Previously developed apparatus of the applicants for grouping and banding a specific number of envelopes or like workpieces at a time in packets, particularly in conjunction with high-speed envelope machines, has structure whereby after the envelopes accumulate uprightly positioned in the collecting station in front of stops, which stops are movable automatically into and out of the stream of envelopes being conveyed the stops moving transversely to the direction of the stream, and the stream being conveyed is interrupted by grippers which are automatically displaceable transversely and parallel to its direction so that a packet held between the grippers is conveyed to a banding station.

It has, been found in practice, that when processing more than 400 envelopes per minute into packets of small numbers of envelopes, an apparatus of this type requires considerable power for a sufliciently rapid acceleration of the grippers to be pushed between two envelopes arriving in succession and for the reciprocations of a relatively heavy carriage bearing these grippers, in the short time available. This leads to uneven running and relatively heavy wear of apparatus working on this principle and a limit is. imposed on the increase in process speed to meet the output of modern high-capacity envelope machines.

A proposal which effects some improvement in the process. speed has been aimed at securing the grippers in a plurality of pairs which come successively into opera.- tion, to chains or the like which are staggered in the longitudinal direction in relation to one another and displaced periodically in the same horizontal and vertical planes, in such a manner that they retain their upright position perpendicular to the stream being conveyed, at least during their contact with the workpieces, while auxiliary stops, which are movable automatically transversely and also (by about the thickness of one packet) parallel to the direction of the stream being conveyed, are arranged in the collecting station, the lower ones being alternately either inside the stream being conveyed and outside the path of the approaching grippers, or outside the stream being conveyed and in the path of the approaching grippers. It is found in practice, however, that any substantial further increase in the process speed using this arrangement comes up against difliculties as a result of the extensive movements of the grippers and of the auxiliary stops together with their drive mechanisms, which have to be executed in the very short period of time between the arrival of two envelopes in the stream. Even the mechanism for supplying, gumming and wrapping the band round the packets does not work sufficiently accurately when the output is increased further, because the band is not held constantly in its correct position.

These disadvantages are overcome by the invention which provides in an apparatus for grouping and banding 3,286,434 Patented Nov. 22, 1966 a predetermined number of envelopes, a combination of the following features:

(a) The grippers are upright and arranged in a plurality of pairs which are articulately secured to two pairs of chains, the chains being mounted for periodic movement in the same horizontal and vertical planes, in such a manner that when the chains are stationary there are always two pairs of grippers in the collecting station, two pairs of grippers in an intermediate station and two pairs of grippers in the banding station;

(b) Conveyor discs adjacent the collecting station having grippers and leaf springs to feed the envelopes individually, one after the other, from above into the gap between the pairs of grippers at the collecting station;

(0) The auliliary stops are mounted for movement vertically upwards and downwards at the collecting station into the path of the envelopes fed by the conveyor discs and only come into operation during the time when no grippers are ready to receive the envelopes in the collecting station;

(d) A banding device at the banding station having a holder for a pile of bands ready cut to length, a first suction device for separating the bottom band from the pile, a device for applying adhesive to a hand held by the first suction device, a second suction device adjacent the first suction device, a lower band applier which takes over the lower end of the band from the second suction device, first pulls it downwards and then folds it upwards over the other end of the band, and a gripper having nozzles for holding the upper end of the band and then blowing it downwards.

A photoelectric cell, which is mounted for adjustment in the path of the envelopes supplied by means of the conveyor discs, and an electronic counting device may be provided so as to enable the drive of the conveyor chains and of the banding mechanism to be switched on by a current pulse, through a magnetic coupling for a single working cycle when the set number of envelopes has been reached in the collecting station. In this case,the auxiliary stops in the collecting station may be constructed in the form of leaf springs.

An example of an embodiment of the invention is illustrated diagrammatically in the accompanying drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side view of the apparatus, partially in section;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the apparatus on the line II-II of FIGURE 1;

FIGURES 3 to 6 show the banding device in side elevation, in various stages of the banding;

FIGURE 7 shows a detail of the conveyor discs on a larger scale;

FIGURE 8 is a diagram of the travel of the lower band applier; and

FIGURE 9 shows the lower band applier on a larger scale; while FIGURE 10 shows an auxiliary stop constructed in the form of a leaf spring.

At the exit from the envelope machine, a suction roller 1 is provided which, on each revolution, delivers a single envelope B to the conveyor discs 2, on which it is held between two grippers 2 and two light leaf springs 2" (FIGURE 7). Two outer endless chains 3 are stretched over chain wheels 4, 5, 5', 6, 7, and two inner endless chains 8 are stretched over chain wheels 9, 10, 10', 11, 12. All the chainwheels and the conveyor discs 2 are mounted for rotation in the side walls 15, in bearings secured therein, or on pins secured thereto.

The base plate 19 is secured to the side walls 15. The chainwheels 4, 9 are set periodically in rotation a through a Geneva movement (not illustrated) in such a manner that each longitudinal movement of the chains 3, 8 is followed by a stopping period lasting approximately twice as long. Holders 32 for grippers 33, 34 are articulately mounted by means of pins on links 30, at equal distances apart, between one outer chain 3 and one inner chain 8 in each case. The grippers 33 are mounted fixed on the holders 32. The grippers 34 are adjustable in their spacing from the associated grippers 33 according to the thickness of the packets to be banded by loosening the screws 35.

The distance travelled in the periodical longitudinal movement of the chains 3, 8 is equal to the mutual spacing of two grippers 33 in the longitudinal direction of the chains, so that after each movement of the chains, the next gripper 33 comes precisely into the place of the preceding gripper 33. Each pair of grippers 33, 34 therefore comes in turn to a stop at the collecting station P, the intermediate station P, the banding station P" and below the delivery station P.

Upper guide 42 is locked by means of a bar 43 in a bearing 82 on an upper wall 82 of the apparatus, the guide 42 being arranged above the plate 19 and adjustable to the height of the packets to be handed. At the end adjacent to the conveyor discs 2, guide 42 has an extension 44 mounted thereon which is adapted for folding upwards by hand for the purpose of access to the collecting station P. The extension 44 carries a cylinder 45, from which an auxiliary stop 46 can be pushed into the path of the envelopes by means of compressed air supplied through hose 47, while it is normally retained in the cylinder 45 by a spring (not illustrated). Two like cylinders 48 with auxiliary stops 49 are inserted in the base plate 19 from below.

When envelopes of sufiiciently stiff paper are being processed, the controlled auxiliary stops 46, 49 can be simply replaced by very light leaf springs 86 (FIGURE the free end of which projects, in the relaxed state, into the path of the envelopes but is pushed aside by the envelopes when a relatively large number of these has accumulated.

Pivotally mounted at the other end of the upper guide 42, on pin 50, is a gripper which is pivoted alternately into its lower position 51 (FIGURES 4 to 6) or its upper position 51' (FIGURE 3) by means of a cam (not illustrated), through a rod 52. In order to hold the packet during the banding, the gripper 51 has two fixed claws 53 in the plane of the grippers 33 and two claws 54 which are in the plane of the grippers 34 and which are adjustable by loosening of the screw 55. Between the claws 53, the gripper 51 carries a suction or blast nozzle 56 with downwardly directed air holes 57 (FIG. 2), which receives excess or reduced pressure through a flexible pipe 58 and valves (not illustrated) and serves sometime for the suction and sometimes for .blowing.

Further above, pile holder 61 for the pile 62 of bands .cut to length for the banding of the packets, is secured to the upper wall 82. Below the pile holder 61, a first suction device 64 is mounted on an arm 65 in the upper wall 82 for pivoting on a shaft 66. The suction device 64 is pivoted backwards and forwards periodically between its end positions 64 and 64" through a drive (not illustrated) being intermittently connected to a source of suction pressure through the shaft 66. A tongue 67 which is swung in or out ensures that only a single band is pulled away below the pile 62 by the suction device 64. Band guides 63, which are curved in accordance with the pivotal radius of the suction device 64 and have very light leaf springs 81, guide the rear end of the band laterally, after it has been pulled out of the pile, and hold it under gentle tension. A gummer 69 which is rotating in the direction of the arrow (FIG. 1) about a shaft receives adhesive in the position 69 from the PPlitlliOI! roller 70 of an ordinary, constantly rotating gumming mechanism, and, in its position 69, delivers it to the end of the band which is offered by the suction device in its position 64'. A second suction device 71 on an arm 72 is mounted in the upper wall 82 for pivoting about the shaft 73. It is pivoted periodically backwards and forwards between the end positions 71 and 71", being intermittently connected to a source of suction pressure. The band applier 74 carries a lateral roller 75 (FIG. 9) and two or more suction holes 76 and 77 (FIGURES 3-9) at its upper end.

Mounted below the banding station P on the base plate 19, is a stationary suction nozzle 88 which sucks down the band for a packet during the downward folding of the lower end of the band, and holds it against displacement (FIGURES 3 to 6).

A light source 83 and a photoelectric cell 84 are arranged beside the conveyor discs 2, preferably on a holder (not illustrated) which is adjustable in its angle about the centre of rotation of the conveyor discs, in such a manner that the individual envelops B supplied run between the two. After the passage of the set number, a current pulse for the switching on of a magnetic coupling for one complete working cycle of the apparatus is emitted by an electronic counting tube.

The mode of operation of the device is as follows: As soon as the set number of envelopes has accumulated in the collecting station P, the magnetic coupling in the drive of the apparatus is switched on through the electronic counting tube for a single working cycle of the chains and of the banding mechanism. In the course of this, the complete packet is conveyed between the pairs of grippers 33, 34, from the collecting station P to the intermediate station P, the packet from the intermediate station P is conveyed into the banding station P" and the finished banded packet is conveyed from the banding station P to the delivery station P, the latter displacing all the accumulated fully banded packets on the base 19 together with the angle member 85, by the thickness of one packet. In order to collect the envelopes supplied without interruption by the conveyor discs 2 until the next pair of grippers 33, 34 has reached the collecting station from below and the complete packet has left the collecting station, the auxiliary stops 46, 49 are pushed forward into the path of the envelopes by compressed air. On the termination of the chain movement, they are immediately withdrawn again.

On its path from the intermediate station P to the banding station P, the packet moves against the band W which is stretched transversely across its path and which is held at its rear end by the suction holes 76 of the band applier 74 in its lowest position 74" (FIGURE 3), and is held at its upper end by the leaf springs 81 on the band guides 63. After reaching the banding station P", the packet is surrounded on three sides by the band which has slipped between the band guides 63 and the leaf springs 81. During the subsequent downward pivoting of the grippers 51, the band is held by the air holes 57 by means of suction from nozzle 56 and is pulled out completely from below the leaf springs 81 (FIGURE 4). Then the upper end of the band is blown downwards against the back of the packet by compressed air blowing out of the air holes 57 (FIGURE 5). Next the band applier 74 moves upwards (FIGURE 6) in the course of which it first pulls tight the band which is held first by the suction holes 76 then by the suction holes 77, then presses the adhesive point between the two ends of the band tightly together with the roller 75 while the band is secured against displacement by the suction nozzle 88 from below. Thus the packet is fully banded (FIGURE 6).

Meanwhile, the first suction device has sucked the end of the next band from the bottom of the pile 62. It pulls the band which receives adhesive from the gummer 69 in the position 64' of the suction device, downwards along the band guides 63 and in its position 64" transfers it to the suction device 71 which pulls it further downwards and in its lowest position 71" transfers it to the band applier 74 which, after termination of the banding, moves out of its highest position 74, away from the banded packet, back into its position 74 (FIGURE 1; FIGURE 8, path 80). The band applier pulls the band further downwards (FIGURE 8, path 78) into its lowest position 74". The suction devices return to their positions of rest 64 and 61' respectively. The gripper 51 is swung upwards into its position 51'.

The working cycle of the apparatus is ended. The next one begins as soon as a packet has become complete in the collecting station P again.

We claim:

1. Apparatus for grouping and handing a predetermined number of envelopes in packs, particularly for use in conjunction with high-speed envelope machines, in which the envelopes are first collected in a collecting station in front of auxiliary stops movable automatically into and out of a flow of envelopes, transversely to the direction of the flow, and then the flow of envelopes is interrupted by grippers displaceable automatically transversely and parallel to its direction and the packet gripped between the grippers is conveyed to a banding station; comprising, in combination, the following features:

(a) grippers disposed upright and in a plurality of pairs which are articulately secured to two pairs of chains, the chains being mounted for periodic movement in the same horizontal and vertical planes, in such a manner that when the chains are stationary, there are always two pairs of grippers in the collecting station, two pairs of grippers in an intermediate station, and two pairs of grippers in the banding station,

(b) conveyor discs adjacent the collecting station having grippers and leaf springs to feed the envelopes individually, one after the other, into gaps between the pairs of grippers at the collection station,

(c) auxiliary stops mounted for movement vertically upwards and downwards at the collecting station into the path of the envelopes fed by the conveyor discs, and only become effective during the time 4 when no grippers are ready to receive the envelopes in the collecting station,

(d) a banding mechanism at the banding station hav ing a holder for a stack of bands, a first suction device for withdrawing the lowermost band from the stack, a device for applying adhesive to a band held by the suction device, a second suction device and receiving the band from the same adjacent the first suction device, a lower band applier which takes over the lower end of the band from the second suction device, first pulls it downwards and then folds it upwards over the upper end of the band, means for laterally guiding the band while being transferred from the first suction device to the band applier on the second suction device, and a gripper having nozzles for holding the upper end of the band and later blowing it downwards.

2. The combination as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a photoelectric cell mounted for adjustment in the path of the envelopes supplied and for co-operation with an electronic counting device so that when a pack containing the predetermined number of envelopes is received in the collecting station, the drive of the conveyor chains and the banding device are started for a single working cycle by activating an electromagnetic coupling by means of a signal pulse applied to the coupling.

3. The combination as claimed in claim 1, in which the auxiliary stops in the collecting station are in the form of leaf springs.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,221,196 4/1917 Lewis 53-198 X 2,917,884 12/1959 Winkler et al. 53-198 3,040,488 6/1962 Winkler et al. 53198 X 3,086,338 4/1963 Ehlscheid 53198 FOREIGN PATENTS 625,166 8/1961 Canada.

FRANK E. BAILEY, Primary Examiner.

L. S. BOUCHARD, Assistant Examiner. 

1. APPARATUS FOR GROUPING AND BANDING A PREDETERMINED NUMBER OF ENVELOPES IN PACKS, PARTICULARLY FOR USE IN CONJUNCTION WITH HIGH-SPEED ENVELOPE MACHINES, IN WHICH THE ENVELOPES ARE FIRST COLLECTED IN A COLLECTING STATION IN FRONT OF AUXILIARY STOPS MOVABLE AUTOMATICALLY INTO AND OUT OF A FLOW OF ENVELOPES, TRANSVERSELY TO THE DIRECTION OF THE FLOW, AND THAN THE FLOW OF ENVELOPES IS INTERRUPTED BY GRIPPERS DISPLACEABLE AUTOMATICALLY TRANSVERSELY AND PARALLEL TO ITS DIRECTION AND THE PACKET GRIPPED BETWEEEN THE GRIPPERS IS CONVEYED TO A BANDING STATION; COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, THE FOLLOWING FEATURES: (A) GRIPPERS DISPOSED UPRIGHT AND IN A PLURALITY OF PAIRS WHICH ARE ARTICULATELY SECURED TO TWO PAIRS OF CHAINS, THE CHAINS BEING MOUNTED FOR PERIODIC MOVEMENT IN THE SAME HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL PLANES, IN SUCH A MANNER THAT WHEN THE CHAINS ARE STATIONARY, THERE ARE ALWAYS TWO PAIRS OF GRIPPERS IN THE COLLECTING STATION, TWO PAIRS OF GRIPPERS IN AN INTERMEDIATE STATION, AND TWO PAIRS OF GRIPPERS IN THE BANDING STATION, (B) CONVEYOR DISCS ADJACENT THE COLLECTING STATION HAVING GRIPPERS AND LEAF SPRINGS TO FEED THE ENVELOPES INDIVIDUALLY, ONE AFTER THE OTHER, INTO GAPS BETWEEN THE PAIRS OF GRIPPERS AT THE COLLECTION STATION, (C) AUXILIARY STOPS MOUNTED FOR MOVEMENT VERTICALLY UPWARDS AND DOWNWARDS AT THE COLLECTING STATION INTO THE PATH OF THE ENVELOPES FED BY THE CONVEYOR DISCS, AND ONLY BECOME EFFECTIVE DURING THE TIME WHEN NO GRIPPERS ARE READY TO RECEIVE THE ENVELOPES IN THE COLLECTING STATION, (D) A BANDING MECHANISM AT THE BANDING STATION HAVING A HOLDER FOR A STACK OF BANDS, A FIRST SUCTION DEVICE FOR WITHDRAWING THE LOWERMOST BAND FROM THE STACK, A DEVICE FOR APPLYING ADHESIVE TO A BAND HELD BY THE SUCTION DEVICE, A SECOND SUCTION DEVICE AND RECEIVING THE BAND FROM THE SAME ADJACENT THE FIRST SUCTION DEVICE, A LOWER BAND APPLIER WHICH TAKES OVER THE LOWER END OF THE BAND FROM THE SECOND SUCTION DEVICE FIRST PULLS IT DOWNWARDS AND THEN FOLDS IT UPWARDS OVER THE UPPER END OF THE BAND, MEANS FOR LATERALLY GUIDING THE BAND WHILE BEING TRANSFERRED FROM THE FIRST SUCTION DEVICE TO THE BAND APPLIER ON THE SECOND SUCTION DEVICE, AND A GRIPPER HAVING NOZZLES FOR HOLDING THE UPPER END OF THE BAND AND LATER BLOWING IT DOWNWARDS. 